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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29519583">The Golden Goddess</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinococha/pseuds/Kinococha'>Kinococha</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Alternate Universe - Percy Jackson Fusion, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Aphrodite's daughter! Hermione, Athena's daughter! Fleur, BAMF Hermione Granger, Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Hecate's daughter! Luna, I'm mixing Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, References to Ancient Greek Religion &amp; Lore, Romance, Slow Burn</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 16:42:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,899</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29519583</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinococha/pseuds/Kinococha</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A failed mission causes a new group of campers to be assigned to recover a powerful unknown artifact. Faded to work with the last person she would choose, Hermione will have to accept her divine part if she wants to have any chance of getting out of this alive.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>151</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The boy who lives brought trouble with him.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  The hot rays of sun delicately touch Hermione's cheekbones. Little drops of sweat were running freely down her throat as she brushed the hair of her favorite Pegasus. Sometimes being blessed with good weather was not so advantageous. With her palm Hermione wiped the sweat from her forehead, not bothering with the disgusted looks her siblings threw at her. Honestly what they expected with this weather, a perfect skin all the time? Smelling like roses? Oh, well at least Crookshanks seemed pleased with her presence.  </p><p> </p><p>  The beautiful brown Pegasus didn't allow anyone to brush him. His irregular unruly hair was always full of knots, making him look like a brutal beast that could easily be found in the depths and dark paths of Tartarus. It was wild, Hermione loved it. The girl was one of the few, if not the only one, who managed to untangle his mane without receiving a bite in return. Some of her siblings dismissed the feat by claiming that it was only because of her experience with her own mane that the girl was able to achieve this. She ignored them, they were just jealous that despite the natural aptitude with Pegasis that all Aphrodite children possessed Crookshanks only had eyes for Hermione. </p><p> </p><p>  The girl offered a large carrot to her winged companion after she had finally finished with her meticulous work. He swallowed the entire treat without chewing and licked the girl's hand in thanks. </p><p> </p><p>"If you have a stomach ache afterward I will not be responsible for cleaning the dirt you leave in the stable." scolded him with a smile while scratching his left ear. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Hermione are we done for today?" Parvati tiredly asked, she was one of the few campers who had volunteered for the task and the weight of the long morning was already making itself present "The other campers are going to need the Pegasis soon." </p><p> </p><p>"We are almost done, we just need to set up the saddlery and we can go." She said, making mention of picking up the material.</p><p> </p><p>  Pegasus didn't like saddles in general, fabric and specially leather tended to disturb their wing joints. Hephaestus children were in charge of creating personalized saddles to meet the needs of each steed. Hermione was grateful for the good job they did, controlling cranky Pegasis was not something she wanted to have on her daily task list. As she finished putting the harness on, she asked her sister. </p><p> </p><p>"Do you know which cabin booked them today?" </p><p> </p><p>"If I'm not mistaken" Parvati tapped her finger on her chin while trying to recall the arrangements "Six booked for a flying train in the morning and seven reserved the obstacle course for the afternoon." </p><p> </p><p>  After hearing that Athena's cabin would arrive at any moment, Hermione started working faster. Personally, she didn't understand why some demigods insisted on maintaining the silly rivalry of their Olympian parents. Let the divine beings solve their bullshit without involving their children for once. They are divine immortal beings, they should be able to demonstrate the minimum of maturity. So no, she didn't have nor did she engage in this ridiculous rivalry between cabins, however, she would pretty much prefer to avoid if possible a certain camper member of Athena's cabin. To her relief, Pavarti noticed the change in pace and hurried to finish too. </p><p> </p><p> Luckily, when she saw the blond heads of the campers, she was already heading for the arsenal. Hermione could very well afford the luxury of a bath as she technically had nothing else scheduled for the day. However, against the futile stereotype that Aphrodite's children possessed, Hermione genuinely liked the combat training. </p><p> </p><p>  She went to the dressing room and put on the standard protective armor. Looking at the variety of blades arranged in the walls room, she let out a sigh. Opting for one of the newer acquisitions, the girl tested the weight in her hand. Too light. Her attacks would certainly have no power with this sword, or with any other blade, Hermione chooses to practice. It was with bitterness in her mouth that she accepted a long time ago she could never find a well-balanced sword for herself. Short-range weapons were not made for Aphrodite children. </p><p> </p><p>  Beauty and love were the only Goddess's divine attributes. Why of all Pantheon Gods Hermione had to end up with the most useless in battle as a mother? She could be stronger and more resistant than a mere mortal but that didn't help when monsters came for hunt. They could smell her, the delicious smell of demigod meat. Weak. It was always the first thing she heard right after the squawking sounds that the girl always assumed were laughter. Weak love child. Her divine side had only served to make her a target, and she refused to be seen as an easy meal for them. </p><p> </p><p>"A cupcake for your thoughts?" said a familiar voice from behind. </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione, still wielding the sword turned to face her friend. </p><p> </p><p>"I am almost sure that this is not the correct word from the saying." Hermione raised one of her eyebrows as she faced the red-haired playful boy. </p><p> </p><p>"Doesn't matter." said George as he selected a sword for himself "I can't bribe you with pennies but sweets give me at least a fifty percent chance of you accepting." </p><p> </p><p>"So are you bribing me now?" Moving away from the weapons wall, she headed for the combat arena center. </p><p> </p><p>"Don't act like it's my first attempt." He joined the girl holding his sword in a combat stance "Three rounds?" </p><p> </p><p>"Five and the loser is in charge of the week's cleaning tasks." </p><p> </p><p>"Deal." The only sounds left in the arena after this statement were from the blades touching one another. </p><p> </p><p>  That game had started a few months ago. The Hermes' cabin counselor was one of the few campers who took Hermione seriously in a fight. Aphrodite's children were generally more likely to choose the bow as their primary weapon. They didn't have the same affinity as Apollo children but managed to get pretty close if well trained. Hermione was good with the bow, but the weapon never had much appeal to her, she liked the handling liberty of a good old metal blade better. Dodging a blow directly to her head, she hit with the tip of the blade her friend's chest. </p><p> </p><p>"First score, I hope you're getting ready to roll up these sleeves George." She announced with a smug expression.</p><p> </p><p>"Your wish Granger." He continued his attack with a series of quick blows.  </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione almost couldn't hide her smile. George was one of the best swordsmen in the camp, the boy was in charge of combat classes teaching for the youngest campers since she could remember. Hermes' son had the characteristic playful way of the messenger God and despite being a troublemaker he was one of the most patient people Hermione could ever have met. He was one of the few who didn't laugh in Hermione's face when the girl applied for the combat classes. Hermes' children accept all, was the only thing he said to the girl when he agreed to train her. </p><p> </p><p>  Her sweat level had increased since she left the stables. The unbalanced sword was starting to get in the way making her miss two rounds straight. Hermione could almost feel the hot jets of water on her skin just waiting for her in a dreamy shower.  </p><p> </p><p>"Focus Hermione!" George yelled as he unbalanced the girl again.</p><p> </p><p> Throwing her weight to the side she used one of the disarmament techniques that George forced her to practice and the boy's sword immediately flew to the corner of the arena. </p><p> </p><p>"Last round." Hermione said between panting. </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione raised her guard and waited for the blow that never came. A roaring sound resounded through the arena walls. The muffled screams of campers taking hold in a battle could be heard. Hermione and George looked at each other for less than a second before running out of the arena and seeing what the hell was going on. </p><p> </p><p>  The scene the two saw when they arrive at the commotion was almost impossible to believe. Three massive hellhounds had invaded the camp's domains. The camp's fields appeared to be intact, which could only mean something terrible. A camper had summoned them. </p><p> </p><p>  Apollo's sons threw their arrows like a rain curtain, easily eliminating one of the canines in a smokestack. The beast didn't even fight while receiving the arrows, which was odd. Hermione's eyes followed the fight as she tried to analyze the best way to help without being caught in the crossfire. She noticed that the remaining canines seemed to have their attention focused on a single camper. The boy hid behind his shield while the remained hellhounds tried to grab a piece of his leg. The other campers were trying to take advantage of the beast's fixation to inflict fatal damage. It was a mess.</p><p> </p><p>  While a group of campers managed to eliminate the second hellhound their companion managed to succeed in sinking his teeth into the boy's leg. The cry of pain was followed by an explosion. A single lightning from the sky completely pulverizes the remaining monster. </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione's heart looked like it was going to jump out of her mouth. That last action was enough for Hermione to finally throw caution to the wind and run towards the unconscious boy. Hermione was now aware of the boy's identity. </p><p> </p><p>"Harry!" </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Centaur and their fuck up riddles</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  Having an Olympian parent who had more than one domain was very useful in the daily tasks of the camp. Of course, not all of their children had complete aptitude in all of their abilities, but when you lived in this world of Greek gods and monsters, you learn not to diminish any advantage you had. That was what Hermione thought as she watched Apollo's children examine her friend. </p><p> </p><p>  Three broken ribs, one chewed leg, and more bruises and cuts than recommended. Harry was lucky to be alive. If they hadn't administered Nectar in time, she wouldn't have wanted to think about what might have happened. His face was so pale that his bruises looked much more colorful and painful. Even with the treatment, they had no idea when the boy would wake up. Or even if he would wake up. The amount of divine energy he used to incinerate the last Hellhound drained his reserves almost entirely. <em> Don't get too close to the sun if you don't want to fall. </em> It is on him now. </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione remained seated beside his bed in the camp's infirmary. The constant smell of antiseptic and divine food distracts her from the apprehensive feeling pumping in her chest. Taking a few strands of hair from the boy's forehead, Hermione noticed for the first time the lightning scar that marked his face. Another one for the collection. The girl let out a dry laugh when she thought how ironic it was that Zeus's son now exhibited a lightning scar. </p><p> </p><p>"Wake up soon my friend so I can tease you for this." Hermione whispered, giving the boy's messy hair a final tidy before leaving the infirmary. </p><p> </p><p>  As much as she wanted, Hermione couldn't stay much longer by the boy's side. Dumbledore had called an emergency meeting with all the counselors. She had no doubts that they would start it without her and it had no way in the underworld that she wouldn’t demand answers. </p><p> </p><p>  She found Luna waiting for her at the door. The Hecate's daughter had an ambiguous characteristic look that all the sorcerer's children had as she smiled at her friend. </p><p> </p><p>"You are late." She didn't have an ounce of judgment in her voice, saying it in the same way that she would announce the weather prognosis. </p><p> </p><p>"In my defense, coming as quickly as possible is not a very accurate measure for time." Hermione said as she opened the meeting room door.</p><p> </p><p>"How is he?" </p><p> </p><p>"Stable." Hermione sighed "They still don't know when he will wake up, but they suspect that if he continues to heal at this rate it would be soon." The round table was full as expected, only the two empty seats were waiting for the two girls. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh look Granger finally decided to grace us with her presence."  </p><p> </p><p>"Shut up Pansy." George snarled at the girl who still stood with her feet on the table like she had no worries in the world. </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione ignored the girl's comment and sat down in her chair. Pansy might be annoying but most of the time she barked more than she bit. How the grumpy girl was the chosen counselor of her cabin is one of the camp mysteries since she didn't give a damn about most things in general. </p><p> </p><p>"Dumbledore, now that everyone is present, could you please explain to us how three creatures from the underworld invaded the camp wards to chase one of the campers?" The melodious voice that Hermione knew very well asked the question that everyone wanted to know. </p><p> </p><p>  Silence finally overtook the room. Gray eyes followed the Centaur's movements calmly waiting for an answer. Sitting in his wheelchair opening and closing his lighter the old man seemed to be finally showing his age. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm afraid miss Delacour that I find myself as lost as you all are." He continued to stare at his lighter as if the object would reveal the answers he was looking for. </p><p> </p><p>"There must be something you can tell us, sir." Hermione spoke for the first time since she sat down. </p><p> </p><p>  From what she knew of the old centaur, she knew that he wouldn't have called this meeting simply to admit that he knew nothing. He was keeping information, but for which purpose it was still uncertain.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm afraid that with Mr. Potter still unconscious there is not much I can add." </p><p> </p><p>"Well, you can start by explaining the purpose of his solo mission."  This time it was Luna who intervened. </p><p> </p><p>  Harry had gone on a secret mission given by Dumbledore a month ago. His absence was treated with suspicion since the boy was one of the few demigods who stayed at the camp all year. Knowing Dumbledore, whatever he sent the boy to do must have been an incredibly important thing if he had to keep so much secret about it. And dangerous, especially dangerous. </p><p> </p><p>"Mr. Potter was summoned by his father to recover an object that, if not destroyed in time, could have terrible consequences." Finally, Dumbledore granted an answer.  </p><p> </p><p> That explained the whole confidence with the mission. If Zeus summoned his own son, alone on top of that, there must be something he didn't want the other gods to know.  </p><p> </p><p>"What kind of consequences we are talking about sir?"  </p><p> </p><p>"The kind that could bring the war back." unlike the curious silence before, this one now carried a morbid tone. </p><p> </p><p>  There was not a single camper who did not know which war the director was referring to. The consequences were still present both in the ruins of the city and in the scars that traveled through the demigod's bodies. George was running his hand over his mutilated ear, his glazed eyes not believing what he heard. They couldn't have another war, they just couldn't. Not in such a short time since they had won the last one. </p><p> </p><p>"How?" Hermione couldn't say for sure who was the camper who asked that question. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm afraid I can't reveal more than that." Dumbledore rolled his wheelchair around the room "Until Mr. Potter wakes up, we won't know what the outcome of the mission was." opening the door he continued "I'm counting on everyone's description on this subject, calm down the other campers for now and until we have more answers, you are all dismissed." Some of the advisers immediately followed his advice and got out.</p><p> </p><p>  Watching the centaur leave with the campers, Hermione let out a frustrated growl. </p><p> </p><p>"I agree with Granger this time, we are fucked." Pansy said as she got up, it looked like even she had her energy drained. </p><p> </p><p>"Strange." Luna looked at Hermione with furrowed brows "The star's prediction brought good luck for today, did I misread the maps?" </p><p> </p><p>"It's still lunchtime, who knows." George muttered, almost throwing his chair on the floor when he got up "If you two need me I will be in the arena." </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione could understand the boy. Honestly, if her day wasn't so busy today she would have gone for a spar with him. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, do you want some distraction?" Luna offered while patting Hermione on the back.</p><p> </p><p>"Does it involve witchcraft?" The Aphrodite daughter was joking but if she came to think about it the idea of using black magic to avoid her problems didn't seem so bad.</p><p> </p><p>"Nope." Luna laughed, how could this girl be so calm after receiving horrible news? "I was going to suggest helping you set up a strategy to capture tonight's flag, a little bird told me that defeating Athena's cabin always cheers you up." </p><p> </p><p>  Yeah, maybe seeing Fleur's frustrated face might make her happy. </p><p> </p><p>"Sure, what I have to lose anyway." little did she know that her words would come back to bite her in the ass. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Link for fanart:</p><p>
  <a href="https://kinoco-chan.tumblr.com/post/643498433659961344/new-fic-and-fanart-guys-ok-this-one-is-a">Fleur fanart </a>
</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Omnia iam fient quae posse negabam.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title: 'Everything which I used to say could not happen, will happen now.'</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  Planning combat strategies proved to be an excellent distraction. Aphrodite's cabin might not be the most popular in terms of fighting ability, but it was undoubtedly one of the most crowded. Which was no surprise given that their mother was the Goddess of love. Hermione had allied with Ares, Hephaestus, Hecate, and Dionysus cabins. A very chaotic combination but with the proper management, it could work. </p><p> </p><p>  Despite the good relationship they had with Hermes' counselor, they most often faced each other on opposite sides of the game. George said it stimulated his bets, but Hermione knew that the boy only insisted on it to make her practice her offensive more often. He was a good instructor, demanding but fair. </p><p> </p><p>  With the pieces in place and alliances made, Hermione said goodbye to Luna and headed towards the forges. Hephaestus' children were proud to say that they could build almost anything in the camp. Hermione used that pride in her favor when she ordered her personal weapon. </p><p> </p><p>  Demigods didn't have the luxury of throwing out divine weapons in good condition. No, Celestial Bronze it's hard to find. It has to be mined from Mount Olympus, then first forged by the Cyclops, so it could be tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, and finally cooled in Lethe River. Putting your hands on a pure piece even if it is small is... complicated. Most prefer to either use the classic weapons that belonged to the legend demigods or to melt the available weapons to reformulate them. Hermione was the second case.</p><p> </p><p> While walking towards the forges she was happy that she wasn't one of the few of Hephaestus' daughters. That place was a furnace. Hermione hadn't even stepped through the door and already had drops of sweat running through her forehead. Passing through the stations and greeting some of the campers Hermione stood behind the messy projects table. </p><p> </p><p>"How can you work all day in this hell?" Hermione asked the redhead who was distracted scratching some sort of mechanical schematic on her desk.  </p><p> </p><p>"Believe me, here it is much cooler than the lower floors." Ginny replied as stopped her work and turned to her friend "Luckily I'm a good friend and left your commission separately up here." The girl pointed with her thumb at a rectangular package that was under several papers. </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione thanked and gently moved the mess from the table to take her order. She didn't understand how Ginny managed to find herself in all this chaos that her workplace was, but the girl always seemed to know where everything stood, even if covered by piles of paper, metal, or tools. </p><p> </p><p>"I kept the design simple as you requested." She said as Hermione opened the package and examined the bracelets. </p><p> </p><p>"How many did you manage to put?" </p><p> </p><p>"Fifty, twenty-five in each one." Ginny grinned pleased with herself "You activate them by hitting each other, two hits and they turn into normal bracelets." </p><p> </p><p> Hermione started to put on the bronze bracelets while listening to the explanation. They had a slight glow typical of the celestial bronze from which they were made. </p><p> </p><p>"Why do I get the impression that you based my weapon on a superhero movie?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at the redhead. </p><p> </p><p>  Ginny let out a fake cough. She couldn't deny that the similarities with a certain Amazon were very visible on the design. </p><p> </p><p>"Ok first of all it was the easiest and fastest way I found to activate your weapon, and come on you know me." She twirled her pencil between the fingers in an animated gesture "How do you expect me to waste the opportunity to put a nerdy reference in my projects?"  </p><p> </p><p> Hermione smiled, Ginny spoke with so much excitement that it was difficult to keep her serious face near the girl. She was about to hit her bracelets when she was stopped by a hand on her wrist. </p><p> </p><p>"Nope, no test drives on the forges." </p><p> </p><p>"Seriously?" Hermione took her arm back and stared at her friend. </p><p> </p><p>"Unfortunately." She pointed to a sign on the wall that Hermione didn't know how she hadn't noticed when she arrived that said in huge red letters. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> No test drives on the forges are allowed! I mean it, Seamus! No test drives!  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"How many explosions did he cause until you guys started this rule?"</p><p> </p><p>"Seven." The girl let out a sight "We were going to banish him but he appeared crying one morning at our cabin door begging not to be excluded from another place at the camp again." Hermione let out a snort, only Seamus could be that dramatic "Our counselor felt sorry for him and just hung up the sign."  </p><p> </p><p>"I guess I will have to test them later then." Hermione waved and headed for the exit. </p><p> </p><p>"Don't wait too long, we have to win the capture of the flag!" Ginny shouted, scratching again at her chaotic table. </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione went to the infirmary to give Harry one last check. She wouldn't have many free hours for the rest of the day and she wanted to visit her friend. Dumbledore's words remained in the back of her mind, making her imagine several different scenarios and none of them were remotely good. </p><p> </p><p>  She was so focused on her mind that she barely realized that she already arrived at the infirmary door, much less than the said door was being opened and someone was leaving. </p><p> </p><p>"What are you doing here?" the words escaped Hermione's lips before she could stop herself. </p><p> </p><p>  Fleur was standing under the door, a raised eyebrow looking at Hermione. </p><p> </p><p>"You are not the only one who cares about Harry." </p><p> </p><p>  Right. Fleur and Harry were friends, sometimes it was easier to let that tiny detail go. Especially when she spent much of her time avoiding the blonde's presence. Seeing that Hermione was only going to stare at her, Fleur said with a sigh. </p><p> </p><p>"He hasn't woken up yet, but surprisingly aside from his leg, the rest of the injuries seem to be healing at a fast speed." Hermione nodded after hearing that. </p><p> </p><p>  Her posture was tense because of the blonde's presence but this didn't hide the relief on her face. He was getting better, still needed to wake up but he was getting better. </p><p> </p><p>"Thank you for the information." Reluctantly she let those words pass her barrier.</p><p> </p><p>  If Fleur was surprised to hear the girl thanking her, she didn't show it. Her poker face was a perfect mask that covered any trace of emotion. Fleur remained still for some more seconds her gray eyes trying to reach the brown ones. With Hermione refusing to look at her, Fleur left without even saying goodbye. </p><p> </p><p>  She let out a grunt while entering the cabin. This was the longest interaction she had with Athena's daughter in ages. Hermione shouldn't have thanked. Talking was stupid, that's what she thought while looking at her unconscious friend. </p><p> </p><p>"It is rude to stare." Harry's harsh voice took the girl's attention back to the real world.</p><p> </p><p>"Harry!" Hermione jumped out of her chair to hug her friend who had barely opened his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>"Ouch, not so tight Hermione." Hermione let go of her friend embarrassed. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry." She smiled as facing now awake Zeus's son.</p><p> </p><p>"Could you bring Dumbledore for me? I need to talk to him." </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione bit her bottom lip. From what the centaur revealed he knew the importance of the last mission. The possibility cloud of a new war swirled around them and Harry was the one with the answers. Her eyes held questions, she didn't need to talk for Harry to understand what she wants. </p><p> </p><p>"I will tell you what happened as soon as I finished talking to Dumbledore, ok?" </p><p> </p><p>"You better." Hermione stood up, the sooner she got this over with the sooner she would have answers "You have a lot to explain, Mr. Potter." She shouted as walking out the door. Perhaps Luna's prediction wasn't so wrong after all. </p><p> </p><p>  The rest of the day went by without her seeing Harry. The news of his awakening had reached the other councilors' ears and now everyone seemed calmer. If the worst had happened Dumbledore would have already sounded the alarm. The boy's absence worried her, however. The Aphrodite's daughter still wanted to know about the mission, what object he had to recover, if he succeeded, why the hell he was being chased by underworld creatures when he arrived at the camp. Parvati noticed that her sister had hardly touched her dinner. </p><p> </p><p>"Hermione, the campfire consumed more food than you." Hermione looked at her apologetically "If you don’t eat it is very likely that you don’t fight well and I don’t want to risk you getting hurt or worse giving an easy victory to George." She teases, trying to put a smile on her sister's face.</p><p> </p><p>"As if." Hermione offered her a smile "That buffoon will have to rip the flag out of my dead hands if he wants to win." </p><p> </p><p>"I appreciate your competitive spirit but please don't get to that point." </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione would have continued to joke with her sister, get ready to face the other campers, and kick everyone's ass in the game. A normal night. But fate had its own plans.</p><p> </p><p>  Without even a sign of wind, the fire went out. All the conversations from the surrounding tables stopped abruptly. One by one the heads began to turn in the same direction. Previously calm campers were again consumed by fear. Walking out of her room was the oracle of Delphi. </p><p> </p><p>  Nobody dared to move. With each step the corpse gave, the color of the campers' faces disappeared even more. As if they were the dead bodies instead of her. The only noise Hermione heard was of rough steps and her beating heart demanding to leave her chest. A trance. A fucking trance was the best description of what was happening right now. She couldn't look away. No one could. </p><p> </p><p>  Finally, she reached the center of the unlit fire. Her green eyes were the only light source of the night. She raised her arm, green smoke coming out of the woman's mouth as she recited the lines of another one of her prophecies. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> A child of love shall lead the Quest,  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The blade will point to the sour request;   </em>
</p><p>
  <em> A lie, an oath, and an unspoken truth;  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Together they hold the fate loose;  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Head to the west and face the cursed land;  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> The feathered brother shall help in the end; </em>
</p><p> </p><p>  Even after the smoke cleared and the woman's eyes finally went out, Hermione couldn't breathe. She barely even felt Parvati's hand gripping her wrist. Her brothers and sisters began to move across the table in a panic motion. They knew who would be the chosen one for the new mission. </p><p> </p><p>  After all the oracle had pointed towards Hermione. </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I do not apologize for not knowing how to rhyme.</p><p> </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. You can't bribe me out of it</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I will acknowledge that I'm a terrible writer, but at the same time, I don't care. Here is the new chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>  Some things never change no matter what the Gods did. The strawberry fields will flourish all year round, thanks to Mr. D's divine aura. Seamus was going to blow up at least three different things before Wednesday. And Dumbledore would not give a direct answer even if his life depended on it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  After the Oracle's declaration, the centaur had at least the decency to cancel the capture of the flag for the night. But only because It would be strange and even more suspicious if he tried to continue the game while talking to the counselors alone. Even as the mysterious being he is Dumbledore knows how to choose his battles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Even locked in the meeting room with only the leaders of each cabin, the atmosphere could not be described as anything other than chaotic. Pansy was arguing loudly with George, but perhaps arguing would give them a lot of credit for the insult exchange that the two were promoting. No one dared to be between the two. Not that this was strange behavior for them, the two argued all the time, but honestly, today had been an incredibly exhausting day and Hermione had zero patience for the two of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Luna seemed to be thinking the same thing because with a zipper gesture on her own mouth the two were finally speechless. However, they didn't immediately notice that there was no more sound coming out of their mouths. It was the longest thirty seconds of Hermione's life as she watched the two of them stare at each other with wide eyes as they realised what Luna had done to them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll give them back if you two promise to be quiet and listen to what Dumbledore has to say." Sometimes, due to Luna's gentle nature, everyone forgot about her nasty side as Hecate's daughter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> George and Pansy crossed their arms and reluctantly gave the girl a nod. Satisfied with the answer, she unzipped her mouth and returned the voice to the two grumpy teens. The attitude, besides having served to control the two fighters, had also calmed the spirits of the rest of the campers in the room who witnessed the interaction. Nobody wanted to be on Luna's bad side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you for restoring peace, Miss Lovegood." Dumbledore said as he tiredly faced the campers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  It was at times like this, with his glasses falling down the nose and exposing those deep eyes, that Hermione could see how old the camp director really was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Your welcome sir, please continue with your explanation about Harry's mission." Luna said sweetly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  The centaur looked at the counselors as if they were soldiers he was about to send into battle. Hermione couldn't get rid of the section that she was the one to be sent on a doomed mission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"As everyone here already knows the reason for sending Mr. Potter alone for the last mission was because it was a direct request from Zeus, to put it simply his mission was to find an artifact and destroy it, it should have been simple at least according to the information that was given to me before." Dumbledore had all the campers' attention on him, no one dared to even blink listening to what he had to say "I still don't know why the Oracle got up of her room to offer a new prophecy tonight, but I don't doubt that it was a sign that a new group of campers must finish Mr. Potter mission." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  This time George raised his hand before saying anything. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sir, exactly what kind of artifact did Harry fail to destroy?" And how this is related to the war was left unsaid. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Dumbledore more than anyone understood the unspoken question. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When Chronos tried to regain himself, he did not have a physical body to which he could return, nor a connection with this plane of existence outside of his prison in Tartarus. During the period he was gathering followers around the world, one of the ways he found to increase his dominance over the minds of the weakest was by fixing part of his essence in some selected artifacts." </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait, artifacts? As in more than one? </span>
  </em>
  <span>"Six were made before the war broke out, and the Gods thought they had managed to destroy them during the final battle, but one had been overlooked." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  If the tension in the room before was high because of the prophecy it was nothing compared to how it was now. Everyone present had suffered at least one loss during the war. Chronos' return was stopped at the cost of the Olympians' children's blood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I am revealing this to all of you because those who volunteer for the mission have the right to know the danger they are going to face." It was possible to hear the sound of a falling pin after Dumbledore's speech. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Luna was the one to raise her hand to volunteer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I offer my magic to help on Hermione's mission." If there was anyone who could track down a divine artifact containing the essence of a titan, it was Luna. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey wait a minute." Pansy said, narrowing her eyes at the blonde "Who said this is Granger's mission?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  To everyone's surprise, Fleur was the one who corrected Ares's daughter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Didn't you pay attention to the prophecy? A daughter of Aphrodite must lead the mission." Fleur raised an eyebrow as she stared at the other camper. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Certainly the oracle must have had mold in her mouth when she said that." Pansy disdained completely ignoring the angry looks that were being thrown at her "There is no chance that Granger will be the leader. Her divine attributes are love and beauty, what use will this have in a battle?"  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Hermione was about to lose her cool and throw a knife at the insufferable Ares's daughter when Dumbledore intervened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Miss Parkinson the prophecy was clear, Miss Granger is the most qualified in combat among her siblings and will be the leader of this mission." His stern tone left no room for discussion "If you accept Miss Lovegood's proposal to accompany you, you can still choose one more member for your team." His speech was addressed directly to Hermione this time with a much gentle voice than before. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I accept Luna's offer, her tracking skills will be useful for the mission." Hermione finally spoke at the meeting. The girl honestly wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. It was too much to process at once in just one night "I'll inform the name of the third member in the morning." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Dumbledore nodded, accepting Hermione's words, and made a gesture with his hand dismissing the counselors. He didn't bother to warn that the conversation they had had to be kept confidential from the rest of the camp. No one, not even Pansy, would divulge a detail of the conversation they just had. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Hermione was getting ready to leave the room with the others. She would at least have to try to get some sleep if she wanted to be willing to face the crazy fate that the gods threw at her. It would be good to get the rest of the information directly from Harry before leaving, there were still some disconnected points that needed to be clarified. Stupid Dumbledore and his inability to properly explain things. She got up frustratedly from her chair and almost reached the door when she felt someone grab her wrist from behind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I want to volunteer for the mission." Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath before answering. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No." Simple like that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hermione please don't be stubborn." Fleur said with a sigh "You know I can be a good resource in and out of battle." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Hermione would never admit it out loud, but unfortunately like always the blonde was right. Fleur was an excellent warrior and her knowledge of ancient artifacts could be incredibly useful in conjunction with Luna's tracking skills. But the answer was not going to change. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Still no, can I have my wrist back?" Still facing away from Athena's councilor, she was trying to keep her head clean.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  The close contact with Fleur's skin was making her uncomfortable. Fortunately, Fleur let go of her wrist. She almost let out a sigh of relief at having her arm back to herself. Unfortunately, Fleur didn't drop the subject. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just give me one valid reason for you to deny my request." Fleur demanded although controlled, it didn't hide the frustration she was feeling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Because I don't want to spend an indefinite number of days stuck in a tent in the middle of nowhere with you by my side. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't owe you an explanation, you made me a request, I denied, end of the story." Hermione started walking through the door without waiting for an answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  However, Hermione's level of stubbornness was not even close to competing with Athena's daughter's level. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I challenge you to a duel for a place on the mission." Fleur shouted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Hermione, who had not been as far away as she would like, stopped walking and finally turned to face Fleur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What makes you think that I would accept that?" The girl narrowed her eyes toward Fleur. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because you never back out from a challenge." The smirked blonde knew she had won at that moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  It honestly unnerved Hermione how Fleur was right again. Not for the first time, she cursed her pride for not allowing her to refuse to fight. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Choose the weapon." Hermione reluctantly said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Fleur's smirk only increased, walking towards the girl, she took a small object out of her pants pocket and handed it to Hermione. Her frown only increased as she looked at the drachma in hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you trying to bribe me?" Asked a confused Hermione. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course not, I am challenging you to a lucky duel." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Hermione continued to look at her with lost eyes as if demanding a better explanation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Look." Fleur started "It's late, we are all exhausted and the arena is closed unless you want to risk fighting in the mud and being caught after curfew. This is our best shot for a duel." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Hermione continued to stare at her, bitterly regretting having agreed to listen to Fleur. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You already agreed." She reminded Hermione as she crossed her arms. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  Hermione groaned and tossed the coin in the air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Head or tail?" She asked as she retrieved the coin and covered the answer with her other hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Tail." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>  While revealing the answer, Hermione blurted out a curse under her breath. Yeah, they are going to need a bigger tent. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. One less line of the prophecy to go.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is nonsense. Here is the chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  The curious fact about having a problem is that trying to not think about the problem in question doesn't magically make it go away. Especially if they are a person. Like a tall blond teenager who likes to meddle in other people's affairs that don't concern her. Fleur was too stubborn to leave Hermione alone. Needless to say, she hardly slept at night thinking of ways to try to escape the deal the two had made. </p><p> </p><p>  It would be very easy to run away and pretend that last night was just a collective delusion of some sort. George would gladly play along with her if she tried. Unfortunately, she was completely sane and her pride did not allow her to run away from her problems. Stupid pride. Stubborn Athena's daughter who couldn't accept a no as an answer. Deceiving her in order to be the third member of the team. Worse, making her swear by the river that she would keep her part of the deal. Hermione had to suppress the urge to grunt when she remembered that.</p><p> </p><p>  She was glad she managed to prepare her backpack with the supplies they might need for the trip last night. Current money and some Drachmas, a change of clothes, food packages, a basic first aid kit, among other things. Despite having no idea what Luna would take, she knew that her friend would focus on a way to load half of the potions she was currently working on. Hermione hoped they weren't flammable.  </p><p> </p><p>  With the backpack secure on her back and bracelets on her wrists, she went to find the other two members of the team. They needed to get the rest of the information about the quest from Harry since Dumbledore had the annoying habit of withholding important information. Stupid centaur. With him, it was better to be safe than sorry. </p><p>  </p><p>  Walking through the camp Hermione found the girls waiting for her at the infirmary door. Luna was barely visible, covered from head to toe by layers of colored fabric. Small runes could be seen at the edges of her clothes making the girl look like a walking spellbook. Which was probably the real intention behind her peculiar choice of wardrobe. Fleur, on the other hand, could not be more different. </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione could count on her fingers the times she saw one of the campers without the orange camp shirt. This was unfortunately a subject she was very familiar with being the subject of countless discussions in Aphrodite's cabin. She never paid much attention to her sibling's demand for being able to wear more stylish clothes in the camp. According to them, there was a limit to how far accessory changes could go. They were there to learn to survive and fight monsters, not to go on a fucking parade. So clothes weren't Hermione's priority, but she couldn't deny that Fleur looked like someone else without the camp shirt. </p><p> </p><p>  Her hair, always tied in a high ponytail, now ran loose over her shoulders, almost reaching her hips. The first two buttons of her long sleeve shirt were open, giving a glimpse of her smooth skin and well-defined collarbone. Standing next to Luna, the contrast between the two personalities was almost comical. Her calculating gray eyes reminded Hermione of the sky before the storm. So beaut… annoying. Yep, definitely annoying no word could describe that girl other than utterly annoying. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Hermione!" Luna, noticing her approaching friend waved her hand "We were waiting for you." </p><p> </p><p> The Hecate's daughter wasn't showing any drop of confusion by the presence of the other blonde on the team. Given Hermione's story with Fleur, and Luna’s eccentricities they certainly formed an unlikely trio for the mission. And yet Luna was not questioning her friend's decision to include Fleur. A decision she would not have made had she not been deceived by a smartass blonde but Hermione still appreciated the trust in her judgment. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry for the delay, I had to fill out the application to be able to use the camp van." Hermione informed Luna while avoiding the gray eyes that stared at her. </p><p> </p><p>  Accepting his answer, the three entered the infirmary and went to Harry's bed. Although he was already conscious and with almost no scratches, the wound on his leg was refusing to heal for some reason. He would have to be on that bed for at least two weeks before Apollo's children could even think of releasing him. They found the boy trying to get out of bed for what was likely to be his fifth escape attempt. </p><p> </p><p>"Where do you think you're going?" Fleur scolded, staring at the boy who clearly was not in a position to get up yet. </p><p> </p><p>  Noticing that he had company, Harry turned to try to come up with an excuse when he noticed that his friends were together. In the same room. At the same time.</p><p> </p><p>"Fleur and Hermione?" </p><p> </p><p>"Luna is here too if you want to name everyone." Fleur pointed it out. </p><p> </p><p>  Hermione had almost forgotten that sarcasm was the blonde's first language. </p><p> </p><p>"Right, right." Harry accepted his fate and returned to position himself on the bed "Are you guys here to ask me about the artifact?" </p><p> </p><p>"How do you know?" Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously. </p><p> </p><p>"Ginny told me about the prophecy, you shouldn't underestimate the gossip network at the camp." Harry said shrugging with a mischievous smile. </p><p> </p><p>"What can you tell us?" Luna was the one who asked, "Any information is useful to help track it." </p><p> </p><p>"I don't remember much, to be honest, the final moments of the mission were very confusing for me." He sighed closing and opening his fists he proceeded with his story "I managed to locate the artifact in an abandoned house in the forest, it was very easy, I should have been surprised by the absence of monsters, but I was more concentrated trying to think of ways to destroy that damn cup." He raised his hands in frustration "I summoned a lightning bolt in the hope that it would be enough and I thought it had worked, at least it looked like it worked, but out of nowhere, I started being attacked by a pack of hellhounds and my memories are foggy because I don't even know how I managed to get back to the camp." </p><p> </p><p>  The son of the king of the gods looked so small covered with his blanket lying on the bed. His father was one of the big three, he could not fail. One mistake meant more than risking his own life. </p><p> </p><p>"Is that cup still in that abandoned house?" Fleur asked.</p><p> </p><p>"I guess, at least I don't think it was moved." </p><p> </p><p>  Luna had moved to the other side of the bed and was going through Harry's belongings, mostly in the trash. Which he didn't mind, but she could have asked. Taking a burned shoe out of the trash, she turned to the three pairs of curious eyes. </p><p> </p><p>"Did you step into the house with this shoe?" </p><p> </p><p>"Yes." He answered without yet understanding what the girl was up to. </p><p> </p><p>"Excellent." Luna smiled as she put the shoe in her backpack "I can take us to the cup by tracking down your steps to the house." </p><p> </p><p>   Luna made magic seem so simple sometimes. </p><p> </p><p>"Well." Hermione coughed to get their attention "Thanks Harry for the information, I think we'll be able to proceed from now on." </p><p> </p><p>"Be careful, not everything is what it seems to be in that place." </p><p> </p><p>  With the certainty that they had a way to take them to the right path, the girls left the infirmary and headed for the exit of the camp. With some reluctance, Hermione finally referred directly to Fleur. </p><p> </p><p>"Here the keys, Luna will go in the front with you to show the right way." </p><p> </p><p>  Fleur looked at the girl with a frown but chose not to say anything in return. The girls put their belongings in the van and sat comfortably in their seats. Luna positioned the shoe in her hand as she tossed a bottle of viscous liquid on top of it. The smell reminded Hermione of a mixture of wet soil and sweat making her nose wrinkle a little. Untying one of the fabrics from her arm, she stamped a footprint on it until the liquid disappeared into the fabric. The runes that appeared later must have made some sense to her since Luna was smiling. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, another line of prophecy is being fulfilled today." Luna was getting excited just thinking about it "We have to proceed west." </p><p> </p><p>  Fleur started the engine, the vast fields of strawberries from the camp were being left behind. Hermione couldn't help thinking about the other lines of the prophecy that were yet to come.</p>
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